Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks made a costly gamble.
They traded Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a first-round pick, and multiple second-round picks to get their hands around Kyrie Irving, who was ready to leave the Brooklyn Nets.
This was a risky move from every single standpoint.
Personality-wise, Irving had a long track record of causing mayhem wherever he went, so adding him to a team with a clear No. 1 young star in Luka Doncic was a risk.
Basketball-wise, they were giving up defense to add another scoring, playmaking, and ball-dominant backcourt player.
And assets-wise, the Mavs were giving up depth and draft picks in return for a player who was set to become a free agent.
That’s why Skip Bayless won’t be surprised to see the Mavs fail to make the playoffs — or even the play-in tournament.
.@RealSkipBayless calls Kyrie Irving in Dallas “a bust”: pic.twitter.com/jxAzp839Kd
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) April 4, 2023
The often-controversial pundit claimed that Kyrie had been a bust in Dallas, and while he won’t put all the blame on him, he thinks Cuban should be held accountable for this terrible decision and disappointing outcome.
Of course, it’s always easy to make assessments in hindsight, and the prospect of having two of the best scorers in the world going side by side was appealing.
But it didn’t take a lot of basketball knowledge to realize that the Mavs would struggle mightily on the defensive end of the floor, and they might as well have given up all that just to have Kyrie walk away for free in the offseason.
NEXT: Jaden Hardy Discusses How Kyrie Irving Changed Mavericks’ Culture
